The current confrontation began during last weekâ€™s 19-12 loss against Purple Team, when Andyâ€™s mom/manager Judy Landecker pulled him from the lineup in the 3rd inning in favor of 9 year-old rookie Danny Dupopple. â€œMy mom says she pinch-hit for me so everybody would get a chance to play. My mom is an idiot. She doesnâ€™t know anything about baseball. I hope she trades me out of my family, not just my team.â€

Judy Landecker responded to her sonâ€™s comments by telling reporters â€œSorry, I canâ€™t talk now, Iâ€™m on my way to the store. Weâ€™re out of juice boxes and duplex crÃ¨me cookies. Iâ€™ll be back in a little bit.â€

Andyâ€™s storied career has been marked by strong play on the field and a strong will off it. Mentored by his father, Barry â€œBubbaâ€ Landecker, Andy combines Pete Roseâ€™s hustle and Ty Cobbâ€™s sheer viciousness. (Bubba Landecker was banned for life from Green Lake Youth Baseball last year; while Red Teamâ€™s third base coach, he spit on opposing players, cursed out several Park District umpires and once threatened to pistol-whip parents rooting for Orange Team). â€œAndy once begged for the chance to pitch to a player on Blue Team just so that he could throw at the playerâ€™s head,â€ said father Bubba. â€œI was so proud of that boy. Heâ€™s a natural.â€

Yet Andyâ€™s talent is undeniable: in his last three games, Landecker hit 5 for 7 with two doubles and two walks. â€œWhen he pinch hit for me, Dupopple almost got hit by a pitch and he wet his pants,â€ Landecker charges. â€œThatâ€™s why we lost games, cause of stuff like that. Actually, all of my teammates smell really bad.â€

Even with his brash demeanor, scouts from other youth baseball teams are salivating at the prospect of bringing Landecker over to their squad. Green Team manager Jerry Sussel told reporters that â€œwhen you get the chance to add somebody like Andy Landecker to your team, you donâ€™t ask why he prayed aloud for his mom to be eaten by ants, you sign him up.â€

Red Team fans have a soft spot for their playerâ€™s boisterousness, though some Red Team players would be glad to see Landecker go, even at the risk of having a weaker baseball team. â€œI know this kid at school and his brother is in high school and he could beat Andy up,â€ Danny Dupopple said in a phone interview. â€œHold on a sec, I gotta put clean underwear on.â€